A House Divided
by Cravats are cool
Summary: On December 28th, 2001, Gregory Edgeworth was shot in an elevator. Three years later, he's recovered. The person responsible was put away in jail, and the Edgeworths are thriving. In fact, they're even welcoming another person into their family - a little girl named Franziska von Karma.
1. Arrival

**Author's Note: What can I say? I'm a sucker for adoption AUs. If this looks familiar, you're probably right. I first published this on Archive of Our Own, and you can still find it there, but I decided to put it up here too. I've already got the second chapter up on AO3, and I'll keep posting (hopefully) soon.**

The von Karma estate was picturesque and always immaculate. The gardens were well tended, symmetrical to the last bud. Flower color patterns were perfectly calculated and specifically designed to be aesthetically pleasing. The house itself was similarly beautiful. Four stories tall, the structure loomed over the rest of the sprawling property. Numerous balconies were strung around the house like Christmas lights. The windows were large, and their curtains served as a perpetual shadow lurking behind them.

Inside, it was well-furnished with only the richest of decor. A layman may even go so far as to call it tacky, but they would, of course, be wrong. Everything looked pristine: the chairs appeared to be never sat in, and there were no stains on anything. The only sign that people were living there at all was the absence of dust.

Built besides a lake, with a fully functioning servant crew, and well-maintained stables, the von Karma estate was easily one of the most lusted after properties in Germany.

This was not the von Karma estate.

* * *

Five-and-a-half year old Franziska glared at her surroundings with a ferocity admirable for a girl who had yet to reach four feet in height. The house in front of her was small, only two floors. It was painted a dull yellow and had glossy black shutters. Through one of the windows, a passerby could look in to see a cramped office space. It's yard was even less impressive; unadorned with anything other than shoddy brownish-yellow grass reaching just above knee height on the little girl. The house itself was obviously not a bad one, but its owner did not seem terribly interested in the art of curb appeal.

Franziska curled her lip and set forward, marching her way through the tall grass and up the brick steps to the house. The girl unceremoniously wrenched open the door and entered the main hallway. The hallway was sparsely decorated. There was an antique grandfather clock next to the stairs, and some yellow flowers were on a table to the right, besides a door that Franziska presumed led to the office she had seen from outside.

It was a quaint scene that Franziska had never expected, nor particularly wanted to find herself in. _Very well. I am finished with this,_ the little von Karma thought, turning on her heel to exit the building, only to run into Gregory Edgeworth.

The man smiled wryly and ushered her back into the house. The little girl scowled. _If only it was that easy_ , she thought. _I'll have to find another way of escape._

"Please excuse me," Her captor said politely, and set down her suitcase. The attorney started to walk upstairs. "I'll be back in a moment." Franziska's eyes darted to the door. The man must have sensed it somehow, because he hesitated, and walked back down the stairs to lock the front door. "Stay here." Gregory turned to disappear into the upper level of the house.

Franziska huffed, _I will do what I like._ To prove her point, the child tried the door handle anyway. Displeased by her failure, she let out an annoyed growl and kicked the door with all of the strength she could muster. The door still did not budge. The blow hurt more than she expected, causing the young von Karma to bite her lip, although she refused to cry out. _Don't show any weakness._

Franziska hobbled on her injured foot over to her suitcase and sat down. _This whole thing is foolishness. What do they want with me?_ The Edgeworth and von Karma families were enemies in everything, first and foremost in the legal field. Something had transpired between them that Franziska didn't know much about, and it had resulted in her father being thrown in jail. She had been only two years old.

After that incident, Franziska had been sent to live with her elder sister, Sieghild von Karma. That was when the trouble started; Gregory Edgeworth wasn't finished ruining the von Karma family yet. He instigated a custody battle over Franziska, which was another case whose information the girl herself wasn't privy to. After three long years of this war, the bewildered girl found herself being shipped off to America with only the instruction of her sister to: "Mache ihnen das Leben zur Hölle"

A stair creaked and Franziska jumped. _Foolishly foolish fool,_ she mentally berated her jumpiness. While she wasn't paying attention, Gregory Edgeworth had returned, and there was another man with him. But upon closer inspection, Gregory's companion turned out to be merely a boy wearing a bow tie. _This is Miles Edgeworth then,_ Franziska realized. He was twelve, and he was due to become her older brother. Already she did not like him.

Miles looked in between his father and his new sister. When neither appeared to be doing anything, the boy cleared his throat awkwardly and stuck out his hand. "Hello. I'm Miles Edge-"

"I know," Franziska cut him off, sneering.

"Oh," was all the boy had to say. _Fool._

Gregory - the girl refused to think of him as her father - rubbed his temple, "Franziska, be nice."

The child wrinkled her nose in response. _That makes the hundred millionth time you have said that today. It has made zero difference._

"I understand this is going to be a difficult adjustment for everyone," the man began, adjusting his glasses, "but I'm hoping we can make this as painless as possible if we talk things through logically and don't allow old rivalries to take control." Gregory Edgeworth was apparently not a man for long lectures.

Her "brother" nodded respectfully, but Franziska felt anger bubble up inside of her. _Painless? I'm not going to help you Edgeworths. Not even to make this easy on myself._ The little girl crossed her arms, "No."

The younger Edgeworth looked at her with mild surprise, while the older one's glance was tinged with a small amount of exasperation. He had spent the entire day with her thus far, and between Franziska's many attempts at escape, and Gregory's indifference to the girl's aggressive behavior, they were quickly wearing on each others nerves.

"I'm not expecting there to be no problems at all," The attorney tried to explain. "I merely want all of us to give a little effort to get along-"

"No!" This time, the girl's protest was delivered in both higher pitch and volume. She jutted her chin out at the Edgeworths defiantly. _I don't even want to be here, why should I try to be good?_

There was a long pause. Miles looked like he wanted to say something, but he thought better of it. Gregory laid a hand on his son's shoulder. The man let out a soft sigh, "It's getting late. I'll begin getting dinner prepared, would you show Franziska her room, please, Miles?"

The bow-tie clad boy wrestled to restrain his frustration. After a moment, he nodded, "If she's finished having a tantrum, certainly." He picked up his adoptive sister's luggage and started up the stairs. Franziska followed smugly. _I've already won one battle. The others should be easy._

* * *

 _Creak, creak, creak_ the stairs complained under the weight of the two children as they travelled up them. Franziska frowned. _Even the stairs in this house are weak,_ she thought. Miles paused at the top of the stairs and waited for the younger girl to catch up.

"That's father's room," the boy spoke as soon as she had, inclining his to head to a door just to the right of the top of the stairs. "We're down this way." He turned to the left and Franziska had no choice but to follow. The hallway was short and undecorated. There were two doors to the right, one door to the left, and one more at the end of the corridor. Miles set her luggage outside of the closest door to the right. "This will be your room. The door next to it is where my room is."

"Obviously," sniffed Franziska. There was a picture on the boy's door. It was a drawing of Miles himself standing up and pointing. The caption read, in big, blocky letters; "MILES'S ROOM." While the grammar could be better, the drawing was surprisingly not that bad. It was certainly much better than the other image depicting what appeared to be Miles riding on top of a dinosaur, flocked by women in bikinis. That drawing had been shunted off to the bottom corners.

"Some friends did that for me," the older boy's voice held a slight defensive edge to it. He changed the subject: "The room at the end of the hall is something of a library, and the one to your left is a bathroom." He didn't look happy as he went on, "We'll be sharing it."

Franziska pressed her lips into a thin line. _I don't share things._ "...I see," she said. The girl turned away from him and picked up her suitcase. It was a clear dismissal, and the young Edgeworth thankfully saw it as such.

Miles started to back up towards the stairs. "Dinner should be ready shortly. I'm sure you'll be able to find your way to the dining room."

The new siblings turned their backs on each other. Franziska pushed the door open, free to explore her new room.

* * *

The girl barely had any time to unpack for less than an hour later, dinner was finished. It admittedly didn't look very different from the things she was used to eating back in Germany, if less fancy. It likely tasted fine, but the von Karma was still determined to make life difficult as possible for the Edgeworths. The other two had finished their meals, but the girl had yet to touch hers. Franziska stared unflinchingly across the table. Silence reigned.

Miles was the first to break. The boy stood and picked up his dishes. He cleared his throat, "Yes, well, as _pleasant_ as this has been, I've got homework to do. Goodnight." Pushing in his chair, the young Edgeworth left the room. This left just Franziska and Gregory.

Franziska allowed a brief pause. After she had deemed it long enough, she sniffed haughtily, "Well, Gregory Edgeworth, what are you waiting for?"

The look on the man's face as he responded could only be described as unimpressed, "I'm waiting for you to eat."

"Keep waiting. I don't eat trash."

"If you don't eat now, you're going to be hungry later." Gregory responded as though resigned.

"Lovely. I will deal with it then. I'm going now." Franziska stood abruptly and left the table, deliberately knocking over her drink in her exit.

Still her adoptive father didn't rise to the bait, instead saying in his usual, measured way, "Goodnight, Franziska." His sharp brown eyes followed her all the way up the stairs.

Franziska flopped onto her bed with a groan. The digital clock at her bedside only read 7:00, but the girl was exhausted. _The sun must be nearly up in Germany,_ she realized blearily. After a few minutes, she mustered the energy to stand up and change into her nightgown. This accomplished, the little von Karma retreated under the covers.

 _Even this bed is worse than the one at home._ Suddenly, she found herself wishing very much that she was in her comfortable bed back at the lavish von Karma estate. Now, she was all alone in an unfamiliar country with unfamiliar people, and it was more than the little girl could bear. Franziska fought off a few treacherous tears. _Don't think of home._ The girl made a mental note to herself. It would be the first of many rules she created for herself while in America.

Despite the abysmal quality of sleeping furniture, Franziska was already falling asleep. _My sister will come for me,_ she comforted herself on the way to sleep.

 _I'll be with my real family soon._

 **Author's Note: Mache ihnen das Leben zur Hölle-Give them Hell. Major, major thanks to Ryszard for giving me the translation on that!**

 **Comments are appreciated, but mostly thanks for reading!**


	2. First Day

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long! I haven't forgotten about this fic, don't worry. I've been working hard; I'm two chapters ahead of this one, so the good news is that updates shouldn't take as long in the future! Before you start reading, I've got one more announcement. There wasn't a place to put this disclaimer without labeling this a shipping fic, (which it isn't) but I'm actually a huge Narumitsu shipper. As such, I included some baby Phoenix/Edgeworth just because I'm trash. Hopefully this doesn't put anyone off because I promise it's not going to be a focus at all. Anyway, on with the show!**

The hallway was dimly lit and completely bare. Grey shadows danced across the walls without anything to cast them. Franziska ran her hand along the smooth, white walls, trying to feel for a door handle. Low murmuring seemed to swim in the air. Something slid open and yellow light flooded the halls. Standing stark against the light was the shadow of tall, imposing man Franziska had only seen in portraits. The mumbling stopped.

"Papa?" The girl spoke, her voice seeming loud in the sudden silence. She looked around, unable to find the man himself, and instead focusing on the silhouette. There was a pause. Franziska felt cold. The shadow of Manfred von Karma slid the opening shut. "Come back!"

She started shivering as the temperature dropped again, but the sound of another door opening quickly caught her attention. This time the outline was of the elder von Karma sister. This figure was shorter, but no less imposing. "Sieghild!" Franziska cried, desperation giving an edge to her tone. She wanted to leave this creepy hallway that had seemingly no exits. The shadow hesitated in cool silence. Franziska waited with baited breath. The door closed.

Franziska let out the breath she had been holding. Her breath billowed out in front of her. _I'm going to freeze like this._ Fear crept like frost across her mind. _Stop leaving!_ A final door slid open at the end of the hallway. Behind this door was not one, but two shadows; a wiry man of average height, and a much smaller one. A boy. Franziska swallowed. She started towards them. "Don't leave," she commanded them weakly. The shadows lingered, as if they understood. The girl took another step towards them. The ground swayed under her feet.

* * *

Franziska shot up in her bed with a sharp intake of breath. For an awful moment, she was disoriented as to where she was. _Oh. I am with the Edgeworths. That was only a bad dream. ...Not that this is better._ The little girl's heart hammered in her chest. She heaved a shaky sigh, and looked around to calm her nerves.

The bedroom was still unfamiliar to her. It was spartan, and much smaller than she was used to. She had a light blue bedspread (which she liked) that had flowers on it (which she didn't.) There was a dresser for her clothes, a small desk, and an additional door that almost certainly connected into Miles Edgeworth's room. The biggest mystery was a small house with even smaller people inside of it. The baffling house looked nothing like the Edgeworth's home, thus it was not a model. Franziska was unaware of what purpose it was supposed to serve.

The mystery would have to wait. There was a light knock at the door. "Are you up?"

The little von Karma padded to the door and opened it. "Miles Edgeworth," she greeted stonily, gazing up at him.

"Franziska," Miles returned in kind. The boy was already dressed. _Of course he's wearing that foolish bow tie._ "Father is out of the house," he sounded like he'd practiced the report. "He'll return soon. Do you want breakfast?"

The little girl nodded, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She followed the taller boy downstairs. She sat at the table. Miles rummaged through the cabinets. "Does _your_ father leave you alone a lot?"

Edgeworth's boy didn't even look at her, "Fairly often. He takes on a lot of trials. He'll return this afternoon." He pulled out several colorful boxes, "What type of cereal do you like?"

"Cereal?"

Miles turned abruptly, holding a box in his hand. "You don't know what cereal is?"

 _Why would I know what stupid American food is?_ Franziska huffed, extending a hand towards him. "Show me."

The boy raised an eyebrow. He set down the bowl in front of her. _...This is edible?_ It appeared to be brown sludge drowning in milk. _I won't let this defeat me._ The little girl narrowed her eyes in concentration and shoveled it down. It was, surprisingly, not awful. She kept eating. Her adoptive brother did the same from behind the kitchen counter. In the silence, the girl noticed a door she had overlooked before. Breakfast forgotten, she stood and started towards the door.

Miles looked up sharply, "Where are you going?"

Ignoring him, she proposed a question of her own. "This door. Where does it go?"

"That door?" The bow-tie clad boy opened the door. "That's the basement."

The basement was dark, even after Miles flicked the switch. The underground floor was lit by a solitary bulb hanging precariously at the foot of rickety looking stairs. _I get the idea that this basement is rarely used._ Suddenly, there was a shuddering, groaning noise that came from the depths of the darkness. Franziska jumped back and gripped onto a countertop. "Wh-What is that noise?"

"Oh," the Edgeworth boy said conversationally, not at all bothered by the tortured sounds coming from within his house, "that would be the air conditioning."

Gritting her teeth and trying to work up the courage to return to the top of the stairs, Franziska said, "It's doing a bad job. It is still ridiculously hot."

The young boy shrugged. "This is typical California weather. You'll get used to it."

 _I absolutely will not._ Franziska bit back the words. Instead she closed the basement door firmly, thankfully muffling the horrid sound. She turned to look up at her "brother." She sniffed haughtily, "So what is it you do for fun in this awful place?"

Hesitating, the boy looked in between the living room and the little girl. "Ah..." The living room. The girl. "Well, on Saturdays mornings I..." The room again. Fed up, the small von Karma snapped in Miles' face to focus his attention. It worked; Miles blinked, turning slightly pink as he went on. "I typically watch the Alloy Avenger with my friends."

"...The Alloy Avenger?"

Miles nodded. A spark lit up in his eyes. "He's an action hero who saves Olde Kyoto! He starred in a long running cartoon that was cancelled five years ago, but there are still reruns today. It's gaining more popularity among younger viewers, and we're hoping that the show will be renewed soon. I don't expect it happening for at least another decade, unfortunately, though-"

"I don't care."

The boy's jaw closed with an audible snap. He looked almost hurt. _Well, fine. I don't care._ The pair were distracted by the cheerful chirp of the doorbell ringing. Miles composed himself and went to open the door, Franziska tailing him.

"Hi, Miles!" It was a boy's voice. ...Probably. It was rather high pitched. Franziska peered from behind Miles to get a look at the speaker. It was, in fact, a boy. He had darker, tanned skin. He was wearing shorts and a blue T-shirt. His hair was black and a good deal spiker than should be physically possible. He had the strangest eyes Franziska had ever encountered; one was a bright blue, and the other was a soft brown. The eyes softened at the sight of her. The boy bent over and put his hands on his knees to lower himself to Franziska's level. "Hello there," He smiled at her. "Miles, who's this girl?"

 _He's speaking to me like I am a child!_ Indignation flared. Another boy poked his head into view, looking around quickly. This boy had ginger hair styled into a mohawk. He wore a white tank top and even shorter shorts. "Edgey has a girl over? Where?" He spotted Franziska. "Ooh, she's a cutie!"

Miles wore a horrified expression, "She's half your age!"

 _I don't even know their names, and already I want nothing to do with these foolishly foolish fools._ Taking matters into her own hands, the girl stalked over the ginger boy and punched him. He recoiled with a yelp. In that same moment, a hand clamped around her arm, pulling her back.

"Franziska!" Miles hissed, "You can't just hit people! That's assault!" He continued, but the young von Karma tuned him out.

"Oh my gosh, Larry, are you alright?" The spiky haired boy rushed to his friend's aid.

The other boy, Larry apparently, smiled in a dazed sort of way. "She hits hard. "

* * *

A few minutes and an icepack later, the group was assembled in the living room. Miles scowled at Franziska. The boy with the weird eyes sat a good deal away from her. _Good. He should fear me._ Though he still looked displeased, Edgeworth's boy cleared his throat. "Let's all start this over without any violence." He levied a pointed glare at the younger girl, whom just as pointedly ignored it. "I would like you all to meet Franziska von Karma. She's my adopted sister. She arrived here yesterday from Germany."

"I am not your sister." _This isn't forever. I'm trying to make the best of a bad situation._

The ginger boy, an icepack pressed up against his jaw, gave a thumbs up. "Nice to meet you, not-your-sister! I'm Larry, Larry Butz! At your service," he finished, with a wink clumsily thrown in.

The spiky boy elbowed his friend. "And my name's Phoenix Wright. Nice to meet you."

"They've been my friends since grade school," the bow-tie clad boy reported.

"He saved me," Phoenix smiled shyly. He shared a long glance with Miles.

Larry whined, attracting everyone's attention. "Guys, if we don't hurry up, we're going to miss the Alloy Avenger. You know the best episodes come on early!"

* * *

A few hours later, the children were still watching the daring crusades of the masked hero, enraptured. Franziska tried to remain aloof at first, but eventually even she had to admit that, if nothing else, there was some excellent violence in it. Miles and Phoenix were sitting very close. Larry occasionally had to be reprimanded, as he kept trying to scoot closer to Franziska. The sound of a key unlocking the door caused everyone to look up.

"Father's home!" Miles shot up from his seat. The boy looked positively delighted. When Gregory Edgeworth came in, he was greeted by all three boys. They weaved around him, talking excitedly all at once. Franziska lingered behind, feeling a twinge of something she couldn't identify.

Gregory pushed up his glasses, and that action alone caused the children to fall silent. "Hello, Miles, Franziska. As well as you too, Phoenix, and Larry. Always a pleasure. Ah... Larry, what's that on your jaw?"

"Franzy punched me!" Larry reported happily. "Is the mark that bad? Chicks dig guys with scars."

As the defense attorney's eyes found hers, Franziska fought the urge to hide. She raised her chin defiantly. Gregory sighed. "...Boys, would you please leave for a second? I need to speak with Franziska." _That's probably not good news. Unless maybe he's giving up already._

The three other children agreed easily enough, and dissipated shortly after. Gregory didn't speak for a long moment. The man watched the girl. She returned the favor. If the staring contest was some kind of test, she seemed to have passed, for the next words that came out of Gregory's mouth were unrelated to her attack on Larry.

"What do you think of Miles' friends?"

Franziska, startled, didn't respond at first, and the lawyer elaborated.

"Do you like them?"

"No." The reply was instantaneous and surprised even Franziska herself. She crossed her arms to cover up any shock. "They are foolish and not worth my time."

"I see."

Gregory lapsed into silence. The man seemed to forget his adoptive daughter was even there. _Weak minded idiot. But there's one more thing I want to know..._. "Gregory Edgeworth!" Franziska raised her voice to catch his attention. The attorney looked down. "Where were you this morning?"

"Ah." The man nodded, "I'm sorry for leaving you two alone. I had a trial this morning."

"Did you win?" _That's the important part._

"Yes."

Franziska scowled, "You wouldn't have won if you were against a von Karma."

The lawyer smiled wryly, "I certainly hope I would have. The defendant was clearly innocent."

"No defendant is innocent." The girl said promptly.

"The legal system isn't flawless," he frowned. He looked away from the girl's face, brow furrowed, "The verdict isn't what matters."

 _What? What matters then?_ Franziska shook the question off. She extended a little arm towards her adoptive father, "I want to see you at your job sometime."

"You want to watch a trial?" For some reason, Gregory's hand went up to his right shoulder and gripped it tightly.

The little von Karma nodded an affirmative. The oldest Edgeworth's face flickered with unease before being forced into a smile, "We'll have to see."

"I didn't ask," Franziska's eyes narrowed dangerously. _I won't take no for an answer._

"Mm," The lawyer seemed uncowed, even amused. Most likely it was due to his two foot advantage in height. "Perhaps if you don't hit another child again."

Angered by Gregory's amusement, Franziska hit him. It was the only proper response.

* * *

Later that night, the rattling, groaning sounds from the basement followed Franziska into her dreams as she walked the dark hallway again.

 **Author's Note: As always, thanks a ton for reading! Comments would be great if you don't mind, but I just hope that you enjoyed!**


	3. Adjustment

**Author's Note: I'm sorry I update so slowly; I'm a major procrastinator, and I've been working on other fanfictions I'll eventually post here. That aside, I hope you guys had a great holiday for whatever you celebrate, and a fantastic winter break!**

German malls were not all that different than American ones, as it turned out. This one was far less fancy than what Franziska was used to, but it was much larger and had a shocking amount of store variety. A person could survive easily for years living in a place such as this. The von Karma paused in front of a cheerful display full of small mannequins wearing bright bags and pictures of smiling children boarding a large yellow vehicle. _What a hideous car,_ the German girl thought and shook her head.

"Franziska, please keep up," Gregory called, slowing his pace. Franziska frowned, lingering for another moment to prove that she could before making an attempt to keep pace. _At least Miles Edgeworth's given up trying to get me to hold his hand._

The boy in question, Miles Edgeworth, was off in his own little world. He walked ahead of the other two, his nose buried in a book. He was somehow content to wear a sweater vest in the Californian summer heat. However, he must have been paying some measure of attention to his surroundings, because when they walked past a small bookstore, his head snapped right up.

"Dad, can we go inside? I've almost finished with this book." He opened it to demonstrate his point, and the older Edgeworth nodded, almost as if the question was expected. Franziska wasn't about to complain. She needed to start filling up the bookcase in her room; as of now it only had a few Alloy Avenger comics that Miles had insisted upon lending her.

The three headed into the bookshop, and the Edgeworths cut right for the back of the room. Franziska didn't follow. A store employee with long black hair smiled at her. "Hello, sweetheart," the woman said, and set some of the books she was carrying on the front desk. Franziska felt her face begin to draw into a scowl. "The children's section is over there," the worker continued, pointing. "You can read, right? You don't need any help?"

"I can read," Franziska coldly informed her. She turned her back on the woman and gave the designated children's section a brief glance. Seeing only books entitled things like _Lucia goes to School_ and _Papi is Toilet Trained,_ the little von Karma quickly headed elsewhere. Eventually she came across what she wanted: the legal section. Seizing the first book she saw, _An Introduction to Criminal Law: Volume 145_ , she instantly regretted it. The textbook was so wide she couldn't fully wrap her arms around it, and so heavy that she could barely lift it.

Huffing and puffing, the little girl gritted her teeth and lugged the book over to the front desk. The Edgeworths were already there. Gregory and the worker with black hair raised their eyebrows. Miles looked amused. Franziska ignored all of them and struggled to place the textbook on the desk. She couldn't reach. Without a word, her adoptive father took the book from her and added it to the small pile of books being bought. The saleslady continued the transaction, looking surprised.

"Can you really read all of that?" Miles whispered to her. He only looked curious, not doubtful, and so Franziska refrained from slapping him.

"Of course I can." _This stay with you Edgeworths is brief. I can't let myself fall behind in my studies to become a prosecutor._

* * *

The three moved on to another store. One that was, in Franziska's opinion, far less enjoyable than the first one. She tried on endless clothes that she absolutely hated: overly pink dresses decked with hearts, and sweaters with sparkly animals on them. She turned down every one. Miles had a much easier time finding his own style due to his lack of pickiness. He finished quickly and stood off to the side reading his new book.

Meanwhile, his father tried his hardest to get Franziska into a white dress shirt with blue butterflies. "No," the girl glared, pushing it away. Gregory, out of sheer exasperation, bagged it when she wasn't looking. _The clothes that I brought from Germany are fine. There's no need for any of this._

"I think we're finally ready to move on," the attorney said, to his children's' immense relief. "There are other things to buy, given the season." He steered the two towards a selection of colorful book bags. _What does this have to do with seasons?_ The child thought, but was too disgruntled to voice aloud.

After some deliberating, Miles decided on a red backpack with a plaid pattern. Franziska refused to chose one at all. At a loss for what to do, the older Edgeworth picked out a backpack for her. It was light blue and had daisies on it. _I want to scream._

Instead of doing that, the little von Karma walked away without a word, weaving through a maze of displays to reach the elevator. One thing that she had noticed was that, all day, whenever there was an opportunity to take the elevator, the Edgeworths didn't. They would take the stairs, even if it was out of their way. She didn't know why, nor did she care, but it came in handy at the moment. _I should be safe here,_ she reasoned, and sat down in the corner of the elevator.

It must have been an hour at least that Franziska was riding up and down in the elevator. It got boring very quickly, but the little girl was determined not to be the first to give in. It was certainly better than dealing with her foolish new family.

She found ways to entertain herself. Among her favorites were counting how many seconds it took to get in between floors, glaring mutely at the other people in the elevator until they either left her alone or, more amusing, became antsy to leave, and, of course, pressing the buttons for every floor when someone new entered. A few times, Franziska thought she heard her name on the loudspeaker when the doors were open. She didn't heed it.

More time passed. The little von Karma was nearly ready to seek someplace else to do when the doors opened a final time. In the doorway stood Miles Edgeworth. The boy was obviously tense, eyes dancing around the metal elevator hastily. His jaw tightened when he spotted his adoptive sister, "Franziska, come out of there now."

"It took you long enough, Miles Edgeworth," the girl stood and brushed off her skirt primly. She stayed firmly within the belly of the elevator.

"Franziska, please." The boy practically pleaded. His breaths were coming faster now and it looked like he wanted to flee.

The girl hesitated for a beat. _I wasn't expecting this sort of response._

It was a beat too long. Taking a deep breath, Miles ventured the few steps into the elevator to snatch Franziska's wrist and yank her out of the elevator. Startled, she tried to pull away, and her adoptive brother's grip tightened so hard that she would later find bruises. It would be the only time that Miles ever hurt Franziska.

After forcibly dragging her through half the store, the boy started to recover. "You can't do that," he began to rant, looking more concerned than a twelve year old had the right to. He relaxed his hold on her, but didn't let go. "I can't believe you'd do something so stupid! And in an elevator too, how was anyone supposed to find you? What would have happened to you if we left?"

"I would be much happier." _Did it occur to you that I don't want to be found?_

"Lovely." A sigh. "...We don't want you to be unhappy, you know. I understand you're adjusting to a new setting-"

Franziska wrenched her hand away from the older boy. "Don't be arrogant, Miles Edgeworth. You don't understand anything!" _Least of all me._

The two fell into an edgy silence. They stayed that way until they reached the front of the building, where Gregory was waiting in anxious anticipation. He let loose a sigh of his own upon seeing them, but didn't comment further on the matter. "Let's go home."

* * *

They almost made it home. They were nearly out of the mall when a store on the right caught Franziska's eye. It was a riding shop, and the German girl was immediately enraptured by what she saw in the window. It was a coiled leather whip, basking in the sunlight, as dangerous as a creeping snake. _Imagine hitting fools with that._ Mind made up, the little girl quickened her pace and pulled on her adoptive father's sleeve. He turned and looked down at her, "Yes?"

"Gregory Edgeworth, would you buy me a whip?"

The man's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "A whip?"

The girl barely even looked at him. "Or perhaps a riding crop," Franziska offered what she thought to be a fair compromise.

"Franziska, I… no." The attorney shook his head, "I'm afraid not, that's completely-" It was too late; his adoptive daughter was already headed into the store. "Are you even listening?"

The riding shop felt like it was the inside of a barn. Polished wood made up the walls, floor, and ceiling. The wood glowed in the light, and the store was warm with the scent of leather. There was a wall full of boots in different sizes, and a selection of funny looking hats. Tacked saddles sat in the middle of the room. The riding crops sat perched in a glass case and came in different colors, but the crown jewel of the horse paradise was the long whip at the front of the shop.

Inside, Franziska became a different person. She walked around, thumbing through halters and checking boot sizes. She talked excitedly the whole time, about the von Karma horses she had left behind. About how she broke her arm riding when she was four and still continued as normal until the class had finished. Sometimes Franziska would forget herself and slip into German to continue to rave about horses. Neither Gregory or Miles tried to correct her. Instead, they nodded encouragingly to try and pretend as if they understood.

Her sudden mood change made it very easy for Franziska to convince her adoptive father to purchase several pairs of riding clothes and a stuffed horse, though the whip was still out of the question. She named the toy horse Monsun, after her favorite white and brown pony in her family's stables. The toy became her first friend in America.

 **Author's note: Hope you enjoyed! If you feel like it, drop me a review, a fave, or something, I'd super appreciate it. Feedback helps me know hope I'm actually doing! Anyway, thanks a ton for reading!**


End file.
